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Opportunities & Resources for Orgs – Feb 25

Mass Cultural Council Staff

photo of a fire artist twirling a hoop over her head with some flames on it. Behind her is a a crowd of onlookers watching in the otherwise dark night.
Performance at Lowell Winterfest.

Each month Mass Cultural Council shares a round-up of grants, trainings, technical assistance resources, and opportunities for creative and cultural organizations (a companion to our Useful Links page). This list is not meant to be exhaustive but a glimpse of what is on offer in the coming weeks. (We also publish a weekly Artist Opportunities listing.)

Funding

MassNonprofit News offers a list of early 2025 grant deadlines.

Environmental Justice for New England’s Climate and Environmental Justice Grants invests in the growth of a sustainable, community-driven environmental justice movement to counter historical disinvestment in communities—aiming to address environmental hazards, climate resiliency, and energy justice, and build livable and healthy communities. Deadline: Feb. 14, 2025.

Essex Heritage’s 2025 Partnership Grant program offers $2,000 reimbursement-based grants upon completion of a project and require a $4,000 minimum total project cost. Nonprofit organizations located in Essex County and municipal entities affiliated with one of the county’s 34 communities are eligible to apply. Applications should take less than an hour to complete. Deadline: Feb. 21, 2025.

Project for Public Spaces’ Community Placemaking Grants is a new initiative in partnership with CultureHouse and with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create indoor pop-up spaces that promote civic and social life in both urban and rural BIPOC and/or low-income communities in the Northeastern United States. Deadline: Feb. 21, 2025.

The Smith Family Foundation offers Small Capital Grants ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 grants for one-time capital expenses for nonprofits. Deadline: Mar. 5, 2025 at 5pm.

The City of Cambridge’s Community Development Department is offering Small Business E-Commerce Grants to reimburse eligible retail, food, home-based and creative for-profit businesses for the purchase of e-commerce equipment and online upgrades. Complete the Eligibility Form by Mar. 15, 2025.

New England Foundation for the Arts’ Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color Program will award nonmatching grants to traditional artists, practitioners, keepers of traditional knowledge, and community organizations and collectives. Self-Nomination Deadline: Mar. 19, 2025.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts offers Community One Stop for Growth, which is a single application portal and collaborative review process of grant programs that make targeted investments based on a Development Continuum. Webinars will be happening throughout the month of February that give an overview of the program, guidance on the application, and individual program information. The deadline to submit an Expression of Interest is Mar. 26, 2025.

The National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Fund: Semiquincentennial Grants support the preservation of a broad variety of cultural resources in commemoration of the country’s Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) in 2026. Grants are available for pre-preservation and preservation projects in amounts ranging from $15,000 to $750,000. Deadline: Mar. 28, 2025.

The US Department of Transportation’s Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, will award a total of $27 million for planning and design phase activities for developing transportation projects in rural or tribal communities. Opens: Mar. 4, 2025. Closes: Apr. 3, 2025.

National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. This program may be a good entry point for organizations that are new to applying for federal funding. Grants are awarded in all artistic disciplines for a wide variety of arts projects. Grants are $10,000 and feature a robust structure of technical assistance. Deadline: Apr. 24, 2025 for projects taking place beginning in 2026.

Things to Attend

Mass Nonprofit Net is offering the Securing Your Nonprofit: How to Effectively Implement Cybersecurity Solutions webinar on Feb 5, 2025 at 12pm.

The National Guild for Community Arts Education is hosting  Empowering the Next Generation: Youth Workforce Development in Action via Zoom, featuring youth employee in Community Music Center of Boston’s Youth Employment Program. Feb. 12, 2025 from 3-4pm.

Essex County Community Foundation’s Creative County Initiative hosts Monthly Meet Ups where they engage with creative individuals and organizations from all over Essex County. Next meetup: Feb 12, 2025 at 6pm on Zoom.

Join Mass Cultural Council, elected officials, cultural sector partners, and Cultural District leaders in Lowell, MA on Feb. 13, 2025 at 1pm to celebrate our latest Cultural District Investment Grants made to the 58 state-designated Cultural Districts across the Commonwealth. Register.

Register for Forecast Public Art’s Creative Placemaking Reconnect on Feb. 19, 2025. Artists, culture bearers, local leaders, and those interested in community-based creative placemaking activities are invited to attend.

Join Mass Cultural Council’s next Spotlight Series webinar featuring an overview of MassReconnect and MassEducate, programs that make community college free to students age 25 and older. Feb. 24, 2025 at 3pm.

New England Museum Association will be hosting a meet up for organization’s attending Museum Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Connect with museum professionals, supporters, and advocates from across the country. Feb. 24, 2025.

Philanthropy MA presents The State of Diversity in the Nonprofit Sector, a Program with Candid. In this conversation, you will learn how Candid collects standardized demographic data from nonprofits and how funders are leveraging this data to address disparities and inequities across the sector. Mar. 5, 2025 from 11am-12:15pm on Zoom.

Be a part of shaping the future of travel and tourism in Massachusetts. Register for the 2025 Governor’s Conference on Travel and Tourism hosted by the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism in Springfield, MA. Mar. 18-19, 2025.

Other

Americans for the Arts is compiling resources on Executive Orders and Impacts: Comprehensive FAQs.

The National Council of Nonprofits is keeping track of Executive Orders Affecting Charitable Nonprofits through a chart that outlines some of the EOs that may affect nonprofits directly or indirectly.

MASSCreative’s Federal Funding Freeze: what we know and where to learn more page is being regularly updated.

American Alliance of Museums’ Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is accepting applications through Feb. 15, 2025. Designed for small to mid-sized museums, MAP offers a free, year-long process of self-assessment, peer review, and expert guidance to enhance your museum’s effectiveness and operations.

National Independent Venue Association seeks participation from both for-profit and nonprofit entities within the independent live entertainment community in their State of Live Survey. All venues, performing arts centers, festivals, presenters, and promoters are encouraged to participate. The collected data will inform a national report and 50 state-by-state reports, scheduled for release in June 2025. Open through Feb. 18, 2025.

The Kennedy Center Office of Accessibility and VSA seeks contractors to provide Access/VSA Creative Career Internship Program career development opportunities in creative industries, arts management, arts education, design, production, or technical theatre for individuals with disabilities, ages 18-30. Deadline: Feb. 28, 2025.

Share your voice! Nonprofit Finance Fund’s State of the Nonprofit Sector Survey collects data about US nonprofits’ health and challenges and formulates them into an accessible, evidence-based illustration of how the nonprofit sector is faring. It’s a powerful platform for nonprofits large and small, across sub-sectors and geographies. Data is used to advocate for the investments needed to secure nonprofits’ long-term resilience, ultimately supporting the communities we all care for and serve. Submissions accepted through Mar. 7, 2025.

Do you work with Boston youth ages 14-25? Check out the professional development workshops offered by the Office of Youth Engagement and Advancement. Gain valuable new skills, make connections in the field, and further your personal and professional growth. Contact: Daniel Bryan with any questions.

The New England Teaching Artist Collaborative serves the six New England states in its mission to build regional capacity to develop thriving communities by preparing teaching artists to serve as catalysts who activate creative potential and foster partnerships with educators, organizations and community groups

 

Read Previous Months’ Listings

If you have an opportunity or resource for cultural organizations that you’d like to pitch for our monthly round-up, please email us. Efforts to submit the opportunity in a format similar to our standard (see listings above) are deeply appreciated. Because space is limited, the best submissions are 60 words or fewer and include links to web pages with more information.


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